I was thrilled to host my special talk—”From Colouring In to Conversions – My Journey into Business”—at The Angel View Inn, Gateshead on Thursday, 6th February. It was a fantastic morning filled with storytelling, business insights, and plenty of great conversations.

If we’ve met before, you’ll probably know I’m Dave Head, founder of Northern Design & Digital Marketing. If not, hello! I’m the one who started a business out of a childhood obsession with colouring in and figuring out how things work. It turned out that a blend of creative flair, curiosity, and a healthy dose of ADHD-fuelled hyperfocus made a surprisingly solid foundation for building a successful design and marketing agency.

How it All Started: From Crayons to Conversions

Growing up, I was that kid who loved colouring books and dismantling gadgets to understand how they worked. As I got older, I realised creativity and analytical thinking weren’t opposites—in fact, they complemented each other perfectly. This combination naturally led me down the path towards digital design, branding, and marketing.

After plenty of learning curves, countless late-night coffees, and more projects than I can count, that passion became Northern—a creative agency where we use design, digital strategy, and a touch of marketing magic to help brands get noticed, win more customers, and achieve genuinely impactful results.

What We Covered at the Event

The session was a mix of storytelling, practical advice, and, thankfully, lots of laughs. Here’s a quick recap of the key points we discussed:

• 🎨 From ‘colouring in’ to career: How my early passion for design evolved from doodling on school notebooks into running a successful creative agency.
• 📈 Marketing and Digital Growth: Real-world examples of how we’ve boosted organic traffic by up to 145%, doubled conversion rates, and sharpened the online presence of businesses across the North East.
• 🤓 Why Being a Nerd is Actually Great for Business: How embracing a curious, creative, and occasionally scattered mind can be your biggest asset—provided you know how to channel it effectively.

Why Events Like This Matter

This was never meant to be your typical ‘sit quietly and take notes’ kind of event. The atmosphere was relaxed, interactive, and genuinely enjoyable. It was also a brilliant opportunity for local business owners to swap stories, exchange ideas, and find fresh inspiration around branding, marketing, and creativity.

Whether attendees were looking to grow their brand, boost their online visibility, or simply hear how someone turned a passion for colouring into a viable business model (yes, it’s genuinely possible!), the morning was filled with practical insights and takeaways that could be immediately applied to their own businesses.

Event Details – A Quick Reminder

• Date: Thursday, 6th February
• Time: 10am – 12pm
• Location: The Angel View Inn, Gateshead

Thanks so much to everyone who came along, brought brilliant questions, and shared their own stories. It was fantastic seeing familiar faces and meeting so many inspiring new people too!

Here’s to continuing to colour outside the lines—and turning creativity into real, measurable conversions.